13 Death and Dying Superstitions

We generally view superstitions with mild amusement these days, but it’s amazing how many of us still knock on wood to avoid tempting fate, cross our fingers for luck, or avoid walking beneath a ladder “just in case.” Here are 13 superstitions concerning death and dying that persist today and explanations of their possible origins. You may take them as seriously (or not) as you wish!

1. Remove a Corpse From a House Feet-first

Considered “windows to the soul,” many superstitions involve the eyes of the deceased, such as placing coins on the eyelids of the dead. Dating back to Victorian England, removing a body feet-first from a home arose from the fear that the departed would “look back” and beckon someone else to follow him or her into death.

2. Celebrities Die in Threes

Many people today believe this one because it’s impossible to disprove. Who qualifies as a celebrity? People die all the time so it’s rarely difficult to find somebody even slightly well known to round out a threesome. And how quickly must a trio die? Within days of each other? Months? Regardless, the origin of this superstition might have arisen from an old English folk belief that three funerals tended to occur in rapid succession. Why that one arose, however, has been lost to posterity.

3. Pregnant Women Should Avoid Funerals

Numerous cultures harbor this folk belief, and, even today, internet message boards and social media bear many messages from expectant mothers wondering if there is any truth to this old wives’ tale. Possible explanations range from fear that the spirit of the dead will possess the unborn child to concerns that the highly emotional nature of a funeral could cause a miscarriage. A related superstition states that, if a pregnant woman does attend a funeral, she should avoid looking at the deceased. Again, the underlying fear is that a spirit will somehow induce her unborn child to enter the land of the dead.

4. Hold Your Breath When Passing a Cemetery

Similar to the superstition that we should cover our mouths when yawning to prevent our spirit from leaving our body, holding your breath when passing a cemetery supposedly prevents the spirits of the dead from entering you. Of course the real trick is to hold your breath and avoid stepping on any cracks in the sidewalk!

5. Birds are Bad Omens

Because birds move easily between earth and sky, humans have long viewed our feathered friends as a link between the temporal and spiritual worlds. Not surprisingly, many superstitions center on birds as harbingers of death. For example, a bird flying into a home through the door or a window, and possibly even landing on the back of a chair, is considered an omen of death for someone within. Similarly, a bird sitting on a windowsill looking in, or tapping its beak against the glass, is an ominous sign. Seeing an owl during the day, or hearing it hoot at any time, is another portent of death.

6. “Three on a Match” is Bad Luck

Hollywood actually based a movie on this superstition in 1932, which states that three people should never light up from the same match or else one of them will die. The origin of this belief might date back to soldiers fighting in the Crimean War in the 1850s: the soldier striking the match alerted the enemy to his presence in the dark; the second soldier lighting his cigarette gave the enemy time to aim; and the third soldier received the fatal bullet.

7. Thunder After a Funeral Means the Deceased Entered Heaven

The basis for this superstition might rest in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, a Bible verse stating that an archangel will blow a mighty horn to wake the dead and announce the return of Christ at the Last Judgment. Interestingly, another folk belief states that a thunderstorm during a funeral means the deceased will head to a slightly “warmer” place. Presumably, the difference hinges on fully conducting the rites of Christian burial or not.

8. Flowers Only Grow on the Graves of the Good

If the deceased led a pure life, flowers grow over the grave, signifying his or her entrance into Heaven. But a grave covered with weeds indicates that the individual was evil. The origin of this superstition has been lost to time, but people have always associated flowers with beauty, purity, grace, etc., while their absence signifies pestilence, despair, and so on.

9. Bury the Dead With Their Heads Pointing West

Few people notice this, but it’s surprising how many cemeteries bury the dead so their heads point west, their feet east. Sunrise has long symbolized birth or renewal, while sunsets (and even Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West) symbolize evil and death. Not surprisingly, therefore, Christian tradition holds that the Last Judgment will commence from the east, and many cemeteries traditionally bury the dead so they “look” eastward in anticipation.

10. Pallbearers Must Wear Gloves

This superstition arose during the highly fashion-conscious Victorian era, but it persists even today in various areas. According to this folk belief, those carrying a casket to a grave must wear gloves lest the spirit of the deceased enter their body through direct contact. While the specific origin of this one is unknown, it remains yet another example of the “spirit fear” once associated by the living with the dead.

11. Cover the Mirrors in a Home Where a Death Occurred

Still common in Jewish mourning tradition, people have long covered mirrors in their homes following a death. Many reasons are cited, including a symbolic de-emphasis of self to focus on the departed, or to indicate a withdrawal from society during the mourning period. The Victorian rationale might have been a little less rational, however. The Victorians believed that covering a mirror would prevent the spirit of the dead from becoming “trapped” in the glass, thereby preventing it from completing its journey from this world to the next.

12. Touch a Button if You See a Hearse

Many superstitions surround hearses, a type of vehicle closely associated with death and funerals. One of the more unusual folk beliefs, however, says that you should touch a button on your clothing if you spot a hearse to prevent it from collecting your body next. The basis for this is an old notion that touching a button will keep you “connected” to the living and life.

13. Toss Spilled Salt Over Your Left Shoulder

Tradition states that Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, spilled salt during the Last Supper, which careful observers can spy in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous depiction of this scene. The origin of this superstition is the idea that an angel sits upon our right shoulder and the devil on our left, each urging us to do good or evil, respectively. Tossing salt over our left shoulder “blinds” the devil and prevents his spirit from taking control of us while we clean up our mess. Unfortunately, the true origin of this one is lost forever. Interestingly, many people now believe that tossing salt over either shoulder simply brings them luck, with no connection to the previously imagined peril.

Sources:

“Death And Burial Superstitions.” Kentucky Superstitions by Daniel Lindsey Thomas and Lucy Blayney Thomas, 1920. Retrieved November 15, 2021. https://chestofbooks.com/fairy-tale/Kentucky-Superstitions/Death-And-Burial-Superstitions.html

“Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions.” https://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org. Retrieved November 15, 2021. https://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions

“Superstitions about Funerals.” https://www.imortuary.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021. https://www.imortuary.com/blog/superstitions-about-funerals

“Birds in Mythology.” www.mythencyclopedia.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021. http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Be-Ca/Birds-in-Mythology.html#b